Like Nothing Else Could Matter in Our Lives
by alvbco
Summary: There's something flawed in the idea that weddings are perfect. Our wedding was anything but- it was a discoloured kaleidoscope of chaos and my memories of it are not of perfectly pressed dresses and white garlands entwined in hair, but instead a collection of breathless, fleeting, beautiful moments.


**SANTANA'S POV**

There's something flawed in the idea that weddings are perfect. Our wedding was anything but- it was a discoloured kaleidoscope of chaos and my memories of it are not of perfectly pressed dresses and white garlands entwined in hair, but instead a collection of breathless, fleeting, beautiful moments.

I can remember speeding through New York traffic to get to the theatre on time, and cursing obsessively in Spanish at the poor driver because I thought that I'd be late to the start of my forever. If I close my eyes, I can still hear Rachel's exuberant giggles as she swung open the door and tripped on her skirt a little. I remember the cold chill that hung in the September air that day, giving me goosebumps as I ran down Broadway to our venue, and the pinch of my new stilettos on my heels. I remember looking up at the sign above the entrance and biting my lip as the words sunk in: "Santana & Brittany: A Love Like This", before Rachel shot a look at me and said, "Come on, Lopez. Don't keep your bride waiting."

**BRITTANY'S POV**

The crowd was looking up at me, but my eyes weren't on them when the doors swung open and there you were. You looked both breathless and breathtaking standing before me and there was that small smile on your face that's always been like a drug to me, that one thing I'd fight a mountain lion with my bare hands for a hit of. For a second, I resented so much that we had something as silly as a wedding to get through, because all I wanted to do was run into your arms and kiss you. It's hardly fair to subject a person to something like that, actually. The way you looked in your dress coupled with the fact that you're Santana freaking Lopez and your eyes are sex and your lips are heaven, well that was almost too much for me.

Anyway, I must have uttered "holy shit" a little louder than I thought because there was a collective chuckle that fluttered throughout the room. I think you heard it too because you smirked a little bit and winked at me. I didn't even think to blush because at that moment, the music started and you took a step toward me. And then another, and another. And then I took your hands and we got married. I became your wife and in that instant, although not much has ever made sense to me, I understood with absolute clarity that this was where I was meant to be.

I don't remember much of the reception. Or maybe a better way of saying it is that I don't remember much of the reception aside from you. My eyes were glued on you for the entire evening. It was like I'd never seen you before. You've always been Santana Lopez, a woman who was so utterly fierce and independent that I'd accepted you'd never be completely anyone's because there was simply too much of you for that. But I think when you became my wife, you let me in on something that I didn't even know existed, and that's pretty crazy considering I've always been something of a Santana expert. It was exciting (if not a little strange) to see you in this new light, and at our reception, your eyes never fully strayed from mine.

As the music danced through the air around us and we heard the applause from the guests, you took my hand and you held it with such conviction and pride and it was sort of like nobody else mattered because I'd already got everything I wanted. I understood that even though you were never going to be somebody else's property, you were mine then. But not in a way that you were giving any of yourself up, more that we were so entwined in each other that it was hard to tell where I stopped and you began. I liked it best like that. I still do.

We watched it all unfold together, a quiet peace about us that we both understood without needing to verbalise. Our friends got drunk and took their various turns on the open mic (a terrible idea when you remember that all of them are such musical theatre geeks and they are awfully possessive of their stage) and I watched you laugh and roll your eyes and sip your champagne. I watched your hand reach for my knee and rest there comfortably and I kissed your cheek. You grinned softly before our attention was dragged back to the microphone, currently occupied by a considerably drunk Sam.

"And now, as the official self proclaimed MC for the evening, I wish to present to you, ladies," he winked at the crowd, and Mercedes scoffed next to him, whacking him on the shoulder, "and gentlemen, the new Mrs and Mrs Lopez-Pierce!"

The crowd went wild and I pulled you up so we could take a cheesy bow, you grinning like a loser despite yourself.

"As our special treat for this evening, I'm now going to hand over the mic to Santana. Come on up, Mrs Pierce."

I turned to you, shocked, and you shot me a guilty smile before downing the nearest shot with a grimace.

"Duty calls. See you in a sec, babe." You told me, reaching down to kiss me quickly before making your way to the stage. I watched in awe as you took a guitar from Sam and stepped up to the microphone, a little hesitant in your motions. Rachel giggled from beside me and I shot her an accusatory look.

"You knew about this?" I demanded. She smirked.

"Yep, Sam's been teaching her for months."

I was about to shoot something back when you cleared your throat and my head whipped back to the stage, eager to see what would happen.

"Uh, hey guys. Thanks for coming tonight, I love all you dorks, even if my credit card is currently being abused by that open bar, which seems like a terrible idea in hindsight. Anyway, um, I've never been great with words so I'm going to keep this short and stick with what I know- the music. It always seems to come back to that, after all. Our relationship was sort of built on music in a way. Brittany, you and I both found ourselves in that dank old glee room at McKinley, and we found each other, too. I fell in love with you as I watched you dance through life with an elegance that I've never witnessed before and I lost myself to you in the most pleasant way when you loved me back. You're not one bit ashamed with anything you do, you love with such a tenacious fierceness that I feel like anything is possible with you. It's cheesy, I know, but I love that about you. Even when I was scared, you stuck by me and we worked through it all together with a song, and I am so glad that I've experienced you, Brittany. Thank you for letting me go through life with you and thank you for agreeing to be my wife. I, uh, it's dumb but I've been learning the guitar for a little bit now so I could do this tonight. This one's for you, Britt."

And then your fingers started plucking out notes and I ignored how turned on I was to listen to you serenade me. I had the biggest smug grin because I somehow managed to find that best woman in the world and Rachel laughed at my expression but I didn't care because my heart was racing in the kind of way that fills my whole body. You sang the lyrics and smiled at me with each word, your gaze only breaking mine to look down at the frets.

_I can feel your heart beat,_

_When I'm all alone. _

_I can feel your heart beat like it's my own._

_I can hear your music from a million miles away,_

_The angels got right when they made you they way they made you._

_Sometimes I wonder if you're made from bones and skin _

_Or are you something for me to begin again, again. _

_This love, this love _

_This love, this love._

_I will build you a mountain,_

_So you can see._

_All the away across the universe_

_To me._

_I will build you shelter for when the days are cold._

_I will be your shelter for when were old and kind_

When you were done, your cheeks were warm with a blush and a silence hung over the room as everyone tried to remember how to breathe. It was broken by Sam, of course, whooping and running onto stage, embracing you in a heavy hug as everyone erupted into applause. I clapped along, wanting nothing more than for the wedding to be over so we could get started on a different aspect of that love you sang about. You crossed the room back to me and sat down, raising your eyebrows.

"So, how'd you like it?" Your tone was cocky and playful and I knew, but I kissed you nonetheless and I think it was enough to wipe the smug from your face because when I was done, you looked pretty dazed, swallowing thickly.

"Now's my turn!" I chirped, jumping up to take the mic from Sam, but not before he managed to sneak in a jibe about us both being such predictable theatre nerds. Which, I have to admit, is slightly true. But still.

I shot Quinn a look and she disentangled from her latest date to follow me up onto the stage as the opening chords of Burn by Ellie Goulding started. I felt the similar rush that only music can provide and I sang, trying to pour out everything I felt for you in those words. Everybody got up and danced, you among them, moving to the front to wink at me as you moved your hips. I giggled through my singing and Quinn raised her eyebrows from where she was dancing beside me, but I didn't care. It was bliss.

_We, we don't have to worry 'bout nothing_

_'cause we got the fire, and we're burning one hell of a something._

_They, they gonna see us from outer space, outer space._

_Light it up, like we're the stars of the human race, human race._

_When the light started out, they don't know what they heard._

_Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world._

_We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky._

* * *

**SANTANA'S POV**

My favourite part was after. My heart was racing as we ran down the street hand in hand, our delighted peals of laughter bouncing off of the buildings and ricocheting through the air to fill the moment with a sense of freedom. I'd always worried a little about this being the end of an era, no more new, no more casual sex, no more stolen glances with strangers in a bar. But it was then, looking across at the serene grin on your lips, that I realised. I wasn't losing my freedom, I was gaining it. That moment was the beginning of our lives, and that thought alone was so utterly gratifying that I couldn't help but stop and look up at the stars. I grinned and you stopped a few steps ahead to call my name. Looking back down, I saw you standing there, holding your heels in one hand and reaching out to me with the other.

"We're going to be together forever, aren't we?" I asked. Your smile was brighter than the glow of the city unfolding behind you when you winked at me.  
"Forever and ever." You replied. Your voice was so sure and your eyes sparkled with mirth and I remember thinking to myself that if I could capture any moment, it would be this one. I could live in that feeling forever, because there's not much that can compete with knowing that one's finally found their place in the world. This was it, not in the sense that this was all that there'd ever be, but rather that this was everything there'd ever be, right here. You were stardust and you were awe and you were beauty and you were standing right in front of me and you were mine. I reached over to you and pulled your body to mine in the comfortable way that's always been ours and I kissed you. It was a beautiful collision of familiarity because you're Brittany and kissing you has always felt like home, but also something new. Excitement perhaps- I think that's it. Your lips felt like an eternity and when we pulled apart, rain started pouring down in torrents, soaking through our carefully tailored gowns. You chuckled and looked down my body, raising an eyebrow. "I always do seem to make you wet so quickly, don't I?"

I rolled my eyes and we started walking again, but every time you weren't looking, I watched the way that the rain fell on your hair, which seemed to be glowing. Every part of you was illuminescent and you were like my own little piece of the sunlight, captured in a bottle for a rainy day.

So to answer the question, I don't think there's such a thing as a perfect wedding. In fact, I think that putting the label of "perfect" on such an extraordinary thing is an injustice. Weddings are disorganised and they're nerve wracking and there's always that one drunk uncle that passes out in the corner. But they are also so special and exquisite that they can be the start of the most spectacular thing in your life if you let them. And if ours was a kaleidoscope, every individual colour that composed the it was one that I would happily paint my world with if I could.

**a/n: Heya, I hope you guys liked that! This one's the first in a four or five chapter story I've got brewing away, so more is to come. Feedback is highly welcomed, too (especially on the characterisation, I'm still new to writing Brittany & Santana). Oh, and the song Santana sang was ****_This Love _****by Julia Stone. Thank you for reading! **


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